


He Who Controls The Weather

by InstructionsNotFound



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: F/M, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-24
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2020-07-12 17:01:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19949734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InstructionsNotFound/pseuds/InstructionsNotFound
Summary: Shuichi and the gang go on a trip to Rantaro's lake house during winter break, and the fun drama that comes with it.





	1. One Little String (Wrapped Around Your Finger)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for clicking!
> 
> The only thing I have to warn you about is that while this takes place during winter break, neither Christmas nor New years will be in it, as a holiday would kind of throw off the flow of the story. 
> 
> I'm anticipating writing another chapter or two to accompany this first one :)

"Don't." 

An innocent smile. 

"You."

An open mouth. 

"Dare." Maki finishes, her sentence more of a threat than a warning to it’s recipient. 

And then, it happened:

"Are we  _ there  _ yet?" 

The chorus of groans that followed was inevitable; that's what happens when a question of that nature gets asked for the millionth time. 

"That's it," She decides, intensifying the glare she was giving Kokichi. "I'm going to kill him. Kaito, pull over." 

"Eek!" Kokichi screams, hugging Shuichi's arm for protection, causing Shuichi to shift in his seat. 

Perhaps that was the whole reason Kokichi volunteered Shuichi to sit next to him in the first place.

"No one's killing anyone," Shuichi intervenes, trying to hold on to the hope that they wouldn’t kill each other by the end of winter break.

"Five minutes!" Kaito announces after looking at the GPS, attempting to distract from the conflict at hand. 

In the meantime, Kaede’s eyes were darting all over the place in search of their destination: Rantaro's lake house. "We finally get to see where Rantaro spent his summers as a kid!" 

"Trust me," he politely disagrees with her excitement, "it's not that special… especially in the winter." 

"Wait!" Kokichi exclaims with realization, freeing Shuichi's arm at last. "Is this where you're keeping all of your Abercrombie model photos?" 

Rantaro sighs. "I'm never going to joke about anything ever again." 

"Even  _ Kokichi  _ doesn't joke about things that are believable," Kaede protests, before another realization hit, and her face lit back up. "Is this your way of saying it was actually Hollister?”

"Well," Maki cuts Kaede off, ignoring the latter part of her contribution to the conversation, "that's because Kokichi doesn't make jokes. He tells  _ lies _ ." 

“Not true!” Kokichi scrunches up his nose in denial. "And even if it  _ were _ , half of the lies I  _ do  _ tell are for the greater good!" 

"You wouldn't know the truth if it hit you in the face.  _ And I might _ ." 

"WAAH!" He cries, whipping out his favorite hat trick, the crocodile tears. "Rantaro use your Abercrombie abs to save me!" 

Shuichi was just grateful Kokichi hadn't picked him as his scapegoat for once. 

"You're on your own," Amami warns from the passenger seat. 

"No one's fighting anyone," Kaito announces, before turning to look at everyone with a huge grin on his face. "Because we're here!" 

And at the time, that statement was the cause of applause (and a few sighs of relief). But that glee soon faded when they all realized the news meant they had to haul everything they shoved in the truck inside. 

"This… hhh… is… hhh… so...h-" Kokichi complains, cranking up the bullshit so high he nearly tripped over it. 

No one could possibly be that out of breath from carrying two 12-packs of Panta. Shuichi practically founded this fact after being weasled into buying Kokichi some so many times.  _ But still…  _

"Need help?" He asks, despite already carrying two duffel bags, one of which was Kaede’s. 

"My savior!" Kokichi winks, dumping both cases in Shuichi's arms like it was nothing. "Just kidding! I'm using you. Nishishi~" 

Kaede was right: his kindness  _ would  _ kill him one day. But it seemed that Shuichi would continue making this mistake until that day came.

"Woah, Shuichi." Kaito calls out, catching up to him. "Are you seeing how much you can carry? Hold on, let me join in!" 

Shuichi exhales. At least when it did kill him, Kaito would be right there with him. That's what friends are for, he supposed. 

Thanks to Kaito's dedication, they cleared out the van in record time, and finally had a chance to breathe. 

"I suppose we should assign rooms before we forget." Rantaro decides, a thoughtful look on his face. "There used to be more beds when we were kids, but the rooms were redone a couple years back. Now we're down to five bedrooms--- and five beds." 

"I'll take the couch," Shuichi offers.

Of course it would be nice to have a bed, especially since they'd be staying there for a little over a week, but he falls asleep on his couch reading mystery novels more than he’d like to admit, so there were worse fates.

"Nope!" Kokichi challenges, causing Shuichi to furrow his eyebrows in confusion. 

"Huh?" 

"Only cool people get the couch!" He rationalizes, his face dull. "And you're not cool. Which means I'm the only one in the whole wide world who can sleep there!" 

"Oh, uh. Okay." Shuichi agreed, his voice uneasy, the way it got when he was faced with uncertainty, which was the direct result of every conversation he had with Kokichi.

"So Kokichi is sleeping on the couch?" Rantaro asks, about as confused as everyone else, despite knowing Kokichi better than anyone. "No more objections?" 

As expected, Kokichi was the only one who wanted to fight for the right to sleep on the couch, and so no one else argued with the arrangement.

The expression on Maki's face after hearing that Kokichi was doomed to several days of back pain was anything but sorrowful. 

Shuichi noticed the corner of her lip raise. 

Was she… smiling?

He hoped so.

The rest of the rooms got assigned without a hitch. 

Considering the fact that they all had the same basic layout, there was no point in having a preference. 

Shuichi spent the next few minutes unpacking his belongings into the drawers of his temporary room, as did the majority of the group. 

He put the clothes away no problem, but his throat tightened when he pulled out the next item:

_ His hat.  _

Shuichi hadn't worn it since freshman year, but brought it with him everywhere he stayed like a child and their favorite stuffed animal. 

He packed it out of reflex, without a second thought. 

He didn’t like that fact.

Staring at it, even now, he could feel the negative energy radiating off of it, encapsulating his deepest insecurities.

_ One week _ . Shuichi took a breath.  _ One week and four days _ . That's how long they'd be staying. And these were his friends. He could do this. 

He promptly shoved the hat back in his bag.

It didn't take long after he decided to do so for someone to knock on his door. 

"Come in," His voice sounded... hoarse.

Soon after, the door creaked open to reveal Kaede's bubbly expression. 

"Rantaro and I are going to take a walk around the lake. Wanna come with?" She asks. 

"Sure." He decides, making sure to clear his throat before answering this time. 

He could use the fresh air.

But on their way out, they got intercepted by a small, purple-haired being. 

"Can I come? Let me, let me, let me!" He begs, bouncing up and down. 

Under typical circumstances, this spectacle of his was very believable, but after a 5 hour car ride it lacked the proper energy. 

That didn’t mean he was about to be rejected.

"Of course," Kaede decides. 

"Okay." He deadpans, a scarily neutral expression on his face. "Where?" 

"Just get your shoes on," Rantaro playfully rolls his eyes. 

"This is so boooring!” The very same Kokichi complains only minutes into their walk. 

“You're the one who decided to come,” Rantaro shrugs. 

“Yeah, but I thought you were going to do something  _ fun _ ! Like makeout or steal a car,” He huffs, kicking a rock into the lake, which wasn't quite frozen over yet. 

And then something overcame him, as his face shifted from distressed to ecstatic.

“Heyyyy, Shuichi .” Kokichi perks up, an evil smirk on his face. 

It was times like these that made Shuichi question how Kokichi became one of his best friends in the first place.

But as soon as Shuichi turned to look at Kokichi, he knew he was going to give in, and accept whatever strange request Kokichi was going to ask of him. 

He always did.

Kokichi had Shuichi wrapped around his fingers.

“Can you pretty please give me a piggyback ride?” He begs, his devious exterior faking an innocent, helpless one in need of saving. “My feet hurt from walking so far. If you don’t, I’ll die!” 

They had barely been walking for two minutes.

Kaede shot Shuichi a warning look, as if she could tell what he was about to do. 

It was too late, however, because Shuichi’s head was already nodding.

“Yay!” Kokichi exclaims, wasting no time. He was already scaling up his back like a monkey climbing a tree.

Shuichi froze when Kokichi’s arms wrapped around his neck. 

As bothersome as it was to carry a 97 pound teenager around, Shuichi was the opposite of annoyed.

In fact, he was insane. 

Under no circumstances should he get so flustered over Kokichi’s closeness. 

This wasn’t like him at all.

But his brain couldn’t stop acknowledging that Kokichi was close enough to smell. 

His scent was odd. A mix between grape Panta and fabric softener, but it was comforting all the same. 

He promised Kaede that it was in the past. He thought it  _ was _ .

She was going to slap him when he told her about this. 

...But she would kill him if he didn’t.

“I can see the whole world from here!” Kokichi says in awe, taking a liking to the extra height the piggy back ride gave him.

Shuichi stifled a laugh.

They walked a while longer like that, and the sky began to darken.

Nightfall was soon to come.

Rantaro and Kaede were a few feet ahead as they walked, because they weren’t being slowed down by the weight of carrying a whole other person like Shuichi was, but he didn’t mind the distance.

And as they walked, Shuichi noticed Rantaro and Kaede’s hand graze against the other's a few times too many to be accidental. 

He bit his lip.

He would have to ask her about that in the morning. 

Kokichi seemed to notice, too.

He was subtle in doing so, making the smallest “Hm...” in acknowledgement. 

Shuichi supposed he didn’t make a big deal about it for the same reason Shuichi hadn't. 

As Kaede’s best friend, he wanted this for her. And as Rantaro’s, Kokichi must have as well. 

And unnecessary pressure from outside sources would ruin the authenticity.

“We should turn back now,” Rantaro notices the time. 

"Okay!" Kaede nods. 

And so the group turned around, making their way back to the house. 

This was the point in which Shuichi's back started to hurt. 

"Hey, Kokichi," Shuichi mumbles, attempting to give him the bad news. 

As if on cue, Kokichi let out a yawn and sleepily rested his head on Shuichi's shoulder. 

Shuichi's cheeks went red. 

He was ninety percent sure Kokichi was faking it just so he didn't have to walk, but… 

"Nevermind." He gives in. 

Perhaps his back didn't hurt as much as he thought it did, after all. 

He could have sworn he felt Kokichi smile into his shoulder after the word left his mouth. 


	2. The Stars And Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shuichi, Kokichi, Rantaro, and Kaede return from their walk, while Kaito and Maki are waiting for them outside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For once, I pulled through and cranked out a second chapter in record time
> 
> Confession: I wrote half of the first chapter originally in comic sans 
> 
> It's kind of silly but I'm rly proud of one of the scenes in this chapter oops

Upon their return to the lakehouse, Kaito was waiting on the porch, bearing a gift: hot chocolate. 

Maki was there, too, but Shuichi didn’t think it was all that accurate to say she was waiting for them. 

Instead, she was sitting on one of the patio chairs, reading a book and occasionally drinking from a mug full of her own hot chocolate.

“Aw, Kaito! You’re the best, thank you,” Kaede praises, taking the mug meant for her. 

Still on Shuichi’s back, Kokichi lifted his head and rubbed his heavy eyes. “Are we there yet?”

His movements were slow and heavy, and Shuichi wouldn’t be surprised if he had actually fallen asleep on his back sometime after they turned around.

Only hours before, the phrase he uttered was enough to cause a murder, but out in the open air it didn't hold the same power as it had in Kaito’s stuffy van. 

“Yeah, Kokichi. We’re back,” Shuichi confirms, stealing a glance at his heavyface. “Kaito made hot chocolate, do you want some?”

“Hot chocolate!?” He repeats, rubbing his eyes once more, before shimmying off of Shuichi. “Gimme gimme gimme!”

He tried his best to seem excited, bouncing up and down, but his movements were still more sluggish than he anticipated, causing him to groan in frustration, giving up the charade. 

Rantaro laughed at the display, and drank his own. 

“The stars are a lot more plentiful out here,” Kaito mumbles once they’re all sitting down. He had a pleasant smile on his face, one that appeared every time he looked up at the stars. It was his happy place.

“That is one thing this place is good for.” Rantaro agrees, his voice soft. “Less light pollution.”

He was sitting next to Kaede, and while Shuichi didn’t want to draw attention to it, he was too curious to look away. 

He had to admit, they were cute together, despite his initial wariness.

Kaede won that fight. 

And then, something happened.

Or at least, Shuichi thought he saw it. It was pretty dark out, and they weren’t all that close…

But it looked like this time, instead of just letting their hands graze for a moment, Rantaro took Kaede’s hand, and didn’t let go. 

They were holding hands right there under the night sky.

“Look at those two lovebirds,” Kokichi says under his breath, Shuichi being the only one close enough to hear his words. 

Kokichi had a knack for saying things directly relating to what Shuichi was thinking, as if he was reading his mind or something.

And then, he turned to Shuichi, and winked. “It’s disgusting.”

He had a knack for ruining it, too.

Shuichi rolled his eyes. 

They sat like that for who knows how long, until Maki intercepted the quiet.

“I’m going in. The hot chocolate is cold.” She simply declares, shutting her book and walking in, her twintails moving with each step.

“Yeah, let’s turn in for the night.” Rantaro agrees, reluctantly letting go of Kaede’s hand as they all stood up.

Well, everyone except Kaito, who never had enough of the night sky.

Shuichi hung back as well when the others went outside, laying on the grass with him.

It was practically a tradition at this point.

At its start, Kaito used what he called training as an excuse, which led to Shuichi doing an abundance of unnecessary pushups, but eventually he gave up on covering up the fact that he just wanted to stargaze.

It wasn’t a secret that Kaito had dreamed of becoming an astronaut since he was a kid. Everyone knew it.

But late middle school to early freshman year, he was… guarded about that fact. 

Shuichi supposed even someone as confident as Kaito got insecure at times. Outside sources weren’t always the most encouraging.

“I think I’m going to like it out here.” Kaito decides. 

“I can see why,” Shuichi responds. 

Since the house was surrounded by a lake, trees, and empty land, it was quiet. And open.

“Do you…” He pauses.

“Hm?” 

“Do you think Maki likes me?” His voice was a whisper. 

Laying out here like this was about the only time he could be considered quiet.

“You’re dating…” Shuichi reminds him. 

“Yeah, I know.” He acknowledges, picking his words carefully. “It’s just… sometimes I’m not too sure if she just said yes so I would stop bugging her.”

Shuichi turned his head to look at Kaito. He looked…

Vulnerable. 

Most friends would instinctively reassure him.

But… Shuichi owed it to Kaito to give him a real, thought through answer. 

“Honestly...” 

Kaito turns his head towards Shuichi, awaiting his answer. 

“I think she does.” 

Before Kaito befriended her, she didn’t let anyone anywhere near her at all. Her shell was that thick. 

Little by little, he encouraged her to talk more to others. To hang out with them. 

And now, thanks to that, she even agreed to go on this trip. 

Besides, Kaito was the only one Shuichi had seen ever make her smile. Other than Kokichi being in pain, that is.

And if she really didn’t want to date him, she would’ve asked him if he wanted to die rather than accepting.

“That’s good.” Kaito put his lips together as he nodded, looking back up at the sky. And soon after, the peaceful smile returned. “You know…”

“Yeah?”

“You deserve someone, too.”

Shuichi considered it. “You think so?”

“Everyone thinks so,” Kaito confirms, stifling a yawn. “You’re a good friend, Shuichi.”

“You are too, Kaito.” 

He often deflected compliments like this, but he really meant it, too. 

“Do you have someone in mind?”

“Huh?” Shuichi recoils, not expecting that question.

Other than Kaede, no one ever asked him.

_ Well…  _ Kokichi did, too. But he chose not to count that. 

He asked everyone . Just to get under their skin.

Everyone always assumed it was a no. 

_ He  _ always assumed it was a no.

Shuichi didn’t have the same reaction to love that everyone else seemed to.

It just didn’t happen for him.

Or at least, it hadn’t.

Until that day in school when Kokichi wouldn’t stop stealing his pencils.

And somewhere in the chaos, Shuichi’s stomach did that butterfly thing everyone else always talked about.

Naturally, he told Kaede all about it as soon as the thought crossed his mind that it could mean something.

She encouraged him as always, bless her soul, but he was intuitive enough to see that behind it all she wished it was anyone else. Anyone but Kokichi.

But it wasn't a crush. That was the good news! It was a fluke. 

At least that’s what he convinced himself.

And then...

“You don’t have to tell me who.” Kaito shrugs, rewording his question. “But do you like anyone right now?”

His brain brought him back to the lake, with Kokichi’s arms wrapped around his neck and the scent of Panta and fabric softener pouring into his nostrils.

He had been completely and utterly flustered. 

And his stomach did that thing again.

The tips of his ears must’ve been on fire at this point.

“I…”

He gulped. 

“I don't know.”

Kaito stayed silent for a moment.

Shuichi shifted about a thousand times during the silence, panicky.

He never knew those words of unknowing to have so much power.

Now he was the vulnerable one. Exposed. 

And then Kaito spoke, and it was like a weight lifted off of his shoulders. “That’s okay, too. You don’t have to have everything figured out.”

His whole life was spent figuring things out. 

But maybe Kaito was right.

Maybe, at least with this, he could leave some uncertainty. 

Kaito yawned for real this time. “Let’s call it a day.”

Shuichi nodded, and they began heading in, but before they reached the door, Shuichi spoke. “Hey, Kaito?”

“Yeah?”

“You really are a good friend.”

Kaito gave a sleepy grin.

The bed in Shuichi’s room was comfortable. It really was.

But even so, he found himself tossing and turning around 3 in the morning. 

Falling asleep initially had been no problem, but  _ staying  _ asleep was a different story. 

Not to mention that his back was sore, shout out to Kokichi.

In the end, he gave up, and went downstairs to get a glass of water. 

The house was nearly pitch black, so it was difficult to see, but he tried his best to walk quietly down the stairs.

He didn't want to wake Kokichi, who had so generously (?) taken the couch.

“It’s even creepier with you tiptoeing around.” Kokichi told him the second he reached the bottom of the stairs. 

“Huh? Oh, you’re awake.” Shuichi mumbles, squinting his eyes to see him better. 

“Mhm! I never sleep.” 

“I don’t know about that…” Shuichi recalls the other most likely falling asleep while he was carrying him. 

“Hmph,” Kokichi huffs, shaking his head. “You’re pretty mean, you know that.”

It was almost as if he didn't want Shuichi to know about that, despite it happening on him. 

“S-sorry,” Shuichi gets a glass out of the cabinet, and began filling it with water.

Kokichi got off of the couch and went into the kitchen, sitting on the counter.

“Get me one?” He asks, referring to the glass of water Shuichi had in his hand. 

When Shuichi complied, he made a big deal about drinking it all in one go. “Yum~”

And of course, he winked afterwards.

Shuichi wished the darkness was as good at drowning out the sound of his heartbeat quickening as it was at taking away his sight.

What Shuichi was thinking was “ You’re ridiculous. ”

But what he said was, “So… I was thinking about going to the store in the morning. Just to look around. Would you like to come?”

“Nope.” Kokichi barely let him finish asking before giving his answer.

_ Ouch _ . Shuichi expected something like that, but that was almost too blunt. 

...And then Kokichi smirked.

_ That little shit. _

“Buuut, since I’m so generous, I’ll come anyway!” He sure was proud of himself. “On one condition.”

Shuichi just hoped his request was tame.

“You’ve gotta go to sleep!” Kokichi cringes, hopping off of the counter, making his way back to the couch that he fought Shuichi for. “I wouldn’t want to hang out with a cranky Shuichi, would I?”

“Okay. I’ll sleep then.”

“Then sweet dreams, Shuichi~”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your positive feedback!! I was not expecting it. 
> 
> I would really appreciate it if you left more feedback, positive or negative! As long as its constructive <3
> 
> You guys rock


	3. The Sudden Feeling of Plummeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shuichi and Kaede have a talk, and then Shuichi heads to the store with Kokichi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We love a queen who only uploads at 1AM

Shuichi woke up the next morning to bright light. He recoiled, shutting his eyes as tight as he could. 

"Wake up, sleepyhead." The perpetrator, Kaede, whispers. Shuichi couldn't help but to relax at the sound of her voice. It was something he liked waking up to. 

“I’m awake,” he mumbles back with open eyes, rolling on his side to face her.

Sure enough, the lights in his room were on. But even more than that, the door was locked. She had come here with a purpose. 

“What’s this about?” He asks, but chances were he already knew.

“I wanted to talk,” Kaede answers, sitting on the edge of the bed, facing him.

He expected as much.

Shuichi nodded and sat up.

Kaede's consideration and communication skills were some of Shuichi's favorite things about her. 

“I know you haven’t always been the biggest fan of him…” She begins, tapping her leg with her fingers. A nervous habit she picked up after so many years of playing the piano.

She was referring to Rantaro, of course.

"...he grew on me." Rantaro wasn't perfect, but he proved time and time again he was worth trusting. Shuichi was ready to declare it. "Rantaro's a good guy. I know that now." 

Even this trip was just overwhelming evidence for the defense. None of it could've happened without him. 

Kaede’s lips slowly formed a true smile. “I really like him.”

And boy, did Shuichi know it. 

He had spent the past few months and countless conversations listening to her go on and on about him.

“...and he likes me too.” She finishes, laying down on the bed and looking up at the ceiling. “I’m happy, Shuichi. Truly happy. I didn't know you could feel like this.”

She looked… 

Invulnerable. Like nothing could stop her.

In this moment, she kind of reminded Shuichi of Kaito, staring up at the stars last night.

Kaito’s emotions derived from a place of insecurity, while Kaede’s came from the addition of security in hers. 

The situation was so opposite that he couldn’t help but notice the similarities. 

“I’m happy for you.” He says, and means it, too. 

“I know you and Kokichi were there,” she starts talking again, unaware that the name she mentioned serves as a trigger in Shuichi's brain, so powerful he had to avert his gaze. 

_ How was he supposed to tell her about Kokichi? _

"But for a moment, out by the lake, it felt like Rantaro and I were the only ones there. Everything else… floated away." Kaede’s eyes were closed at this point, recalling the memories as if they were her favorite melody. "The way he held my hand- Shuichi, it was just like in the movies.”

His throat was starting to feel funny. Like he was about to cry.

He hoped it was just a sign that he was getting a cold. Proof he wasn't well.

A reason for all of the wild thoughts in his head. 

"When we were watching the stars, I rested my head on his chest. All I could hear was his heart beating-" 

She didn't just like the guy, Shuichi realized. She was in love. 

And with that realization, came a pit in his stomach. He had meant it when he said he was happy for her. 

But the words fell flat in his head. His brain felt fuzzy.

His mind screamed at the foreign feeling. He wanted that for himself. And even worse, he wanted that with Kokichi. 

She was going to hate him for this. 

Kaede stopped mid thought, noticing his troubled expression. He must've looked miserable. 

"Ah, it seems ice bugged you with enough details for one day," She kept her positive tone, sitting up. "So… We good?" 

That was how most of their talks went. She would talk, and he would listen. Shuichi didn’t usually mind, because he enjoyed listening to her rants, and hardly ever had new information to divulge himself.

He could let the conversation end there.

It would make things so much easier.

All he had to do was nod.

But it had to be different this time. 

The aching in his chest made that fact evident. He wasn't sure how he'd made it this long without exploding in the first place. 

Shuichi gulped. “I, uh…”

“Hm?” Kaede tilted her head in confusion. She hadn't expected him to speak up. 

“I wanted to talk, too.”

“Is everything okay?” 

“Y-yeah, everything’s fine…” he reassures, his thoughts betraying his words. 

“Okay.” She nods, crossing her legs on the bed and facing him to listen. “What’s up?”

The air didn't seem to flow the way it was supposed to.

“It’s just…” He felt himself wishing he had his hat on. He was too exposed without it. 

Why was it so hard to say?

Each breath he took was quicker than the last. 

“I…”

It was as if his throat was tightening.

“I think…”

He felt like he was going to puke.

He could  _ hear _ the silence of the room.

He didn't know if he was freaking out because he liked someone or if it was because Kokichi  _ was _ that someone. 

"Shuichi… ah, Shuichi!" Kaede was trying her best to diffuse the situation, but she looked about as panicky as he felt. "It's okay. You're okay. Everything's okay."

And for now, her best was enough. 

It took a minute, but Shuichi took a deep breath, trying his best to compose himself. 

“S-sorry.” He mumbles once his breathing returned to normal. He was overthinking it. 

He was always overthinking things. 

“We can talk some other time,” Kaede offers, an encouraging smile on her face. "Whenever you're ready." 

Shuichi shook his head.

He had to say it now. No matter what she would think. 

“I like Kokichi.”

It was a miracle he got the words out. 

“That’s all?” She asks, like the breath of fresh air he so desperately needed.

He felt embarrassed that it took him so long to say it. Of course she had his back. 

She always did. Why would this have been the exception?

She was right; 

Everything was okay.

And it would've been if her response ended there, but she opened her mouth again, and he felt a part of himself die. 

“It could be a fluke, like last time! We can get past this. Maybe-”

“No, I don’t think so.” Shuichi interrupts. 

His voice was shaky, but he was confident with his words. 

After saying it aloud the first time, he knew it was the truth. He wouldn't pretend any longer.  _ Couldn't _ . 

It was more than just the day with the pencils and the piggyback ride that told him so. 

Kokichi was perfect at spinning the truth, and Shuichi at finding it.

The mythomaniacs lies hardly ever got past Shuichi. Intellectually, they were a perfect match. 

And, Shuichi wasn't delusional, but he sort of liked the idea of them matching up beyond that. Even if it scared him. 

Those butterflies were giving him a hard time right about now. 

He liked  _ Kokichi _ for God's sake, and didn't know how he hadn’t noticed it sooner. 

“Oh.” Kaede’s face fell. 

Shuichi knew it would. 

Yeah.  _ Oh _ . 

She waited a beat. 

"It had to be him, didn't it?" Kaede's voice was so quiet, it barely counted as her saying it, but Shuichi heard the message loud and clear.

He couldn't say anything. 

She recovered flawlessly, covering up her disappointed reaction with an optimistic one. 

“Shuichi, this is groundbreaking! Your first crush.” Kaede grinned, and he began to wonder how many times she faked her trademarked enthusiasm. “I’ve been waiting for this day my whole life.”

He nodded, but his heart wasn’t in it.

She was trying her best.

And for now, that  _ had _ to be enough.

The conversation ended about there, the opposite of smoothly. There was tension in the room they weren't used to wading through. 

He should've moved on the second she left the room, and go about his day like everything was fine. But he couldn't. He just  _ couldn't _ . 

Instead, he stayed in his room, wallowing in self-pity, with his eyes trained on the drawer he shoved his hat in, wishing he'd been wearing it during their conversation, and then regretting the thought. 

He must've stayed there for hours. 

Rantaro, Kaito, Maki, and Kokichi were eating lunch by the time Shuichi finally found the motivation to leave his room. 

He didn't know where Kaede was. 

“I’ve been waiting here for hours! I thought you ditched me.” Kokichi complains once Shuichi enters the kitchen. “Totally uncool.”

“Kaito and I pulled his blanket off of him earlier this morning, so he would stop hogging the whole couch,” Rantaro explains, giving Kokichi a pointed look. “And he’s been grumpy ever since.”

“It’s my bed!” He pouts.

“You weren’t asleep…”

“Hmph,” Kokichi mutters, sticking his nose up and crossing his arms. “See Shuichi, aren’t you glad I saved you from this  _ abuse _ ? Because  _ apparently _ , when you temporarily live on the couch out of the goodness of your heart, you have  _ no _ rights.”   
  


“Y-yeah, something like that…” Shuichi shrugs, going along with whatever Kokichi said. 

He didn't have the energy to stage a logical argument against whatever nonsense Kokichi was rambling on about. Everything was already off balance. 

He didn’t technically have a fight with Kaede. But he may as well have. 

It wasn't something he could shake off. 

He bet she knew it, too. 

And it was all for the boy standing in front of him, advocating for couch people rights.

Shuichi was in way over his head.

Kokichi tilted his head in response to Shuichi's permissive reply,, like it didn’t quite make sense.

...Did he pay that much attention to Shuichi?

“Hey, Kaito…” When the conversation lulled, Shuichi saw it as an opportune time to make a request of Kaito. “I was planning on going to the store this morning. Would it be possible if I could take your van?”

“Sure thing. The keys are on the counter.” 

Before Shuichi got the chance to thank him, Rantaro spoke up. “Mind if I tag along?”

“Oh, you’re not going.” Kokichi announces.

“I’m not?” Rantaro asks, making eye contact with Kokichi to interpret his statement. 

“Nope!” Kokichi gave him a look. 

“Okay, I’m not going…” Rantaro gives in, looking back at Kokichi one last time, before shrugging it off and approaching Shuichi. 

_ What was that about? _

“Whatever you do, don’t let Kokichi have this.” Rantaro warns, handing him a credit card, causing Kokichi to stick his tongue out at Rantaro. 

“Huh? What is this for?” Shuichi wonders, looking at the card with an uneasy expression. 

“I meant it when I said this would be an all expenses paid trip,” Rantaro shrugs. That was probably why he wanted to go in the first place. “And I trust you, so...”

_ Rantaro trusts him? _

“O-okay.” Shuichi nods, taking it. He figured Rantaro wouldn’t take no for an answer, and even though he took it, it didn’t mean he had to use it. “I won’t let you down.”

Shuichi cringed the moment he said it. It may have been the lamest sentence known to man. 

But he wanted to convey it to Rantaro that the trust, while unexpected, meant a lot to him. 

  
  
  


Most of the way there, Kokichi stayed silent, staring at Shuichi with an unsatisfied frown on his face.

“What?” Shuichi finally asks. He wasn’t used to Kokichi being quiet. He had hoped Kokichi would be his one constant of this upside down day. 

“You’re upset.” He states it like fact, his expression unblinking.

“I’m fine.” It wasn’t that big of a deal. 

Honestly, he probably didn’t even have the right to be upset; Kaede didn’t do anything wrong. 

But he still felt hurt. Lost. 

“No. You’re upset.” There was no sign of him letting up anytime soon.

At the next stoplight, Shuichi took the time to look at Kokichi. 

Kokichi was determined.

And it looked like he was concerned, too. 

Shuichi decided that being honest with him wasn’t such a bad idea.

“Okay. I’m upset.”

Shuichi expected Kokichi to jump up at the chance to brag about being right, but that didn't happen.

Instead, he closed his mouth, nodded, and looked out the window. 

"Turn left," he eventually says. 

"Huh?" Shuichi argues, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion, just to be cut off by the other. To get to the convenience store, he was supposed to turn right. "But the GPS says-" 

"Nope! I'm pretty sure it says left." Kokichi looked serious, which meant he was definitely scheming. 

Shuichi hesitated. Turning right was the safer option. 

Then again, Kokichi was looking at him expectantly, his pleading eyes wide open. 

…

So, yeah. Shuichi turned left. 

A couple times, actually. With a few rights sprinkles in. 

He followed the rest of Kokichi's directions until he found himself in the parking lot of a used bookstore. 

"See? I told you it was a left!" Kokichi brags the second they step out of the van, masking the reality that this was not in fact their destination from the beginning. 

Shuichi was too busy staring to reply. 

...At the store, not Kokichi. 

"It's  _ cold _ , let's go inside," Kokichi whines, tugging on Shuichi's sleeve. 

But the only thing on Shuichi's mind was finding out why Kokichi brought him there.

Sadly, the sign above the store answered none of his queries. 

"Come on, slowpoke." Kokichi complains, grabbing ahold of Shuichi's hand to drag him inside. 

It was supposed to be nothing. 

But the impact of hand on hand contact felt like a rush of electricity snapping Shuichi back into the conscious world. 

If Kokichi's goal was to get Shuichi's attention, he succeeded. 

Shuichi tried not to react, swallowing any potential verbal cues that would give him away, but even he knew there was nothing he could do about the reddening of his cheeks. 

His mind was screaming. 

Kokichi Ouma was holding his hand. 

And at first it was the way you'd loosely hold a child's hand as you cross the street, but by the time the smell of books filled Shuichi's nostrils, their fingers were locked, and it was real. 

_ Kokichi Ouma was holding his hand _ . 

The only way Shuichi thought to explain this explosion of emotions he was feeling was by likening them to a sunset. 

Subconsciously, he'd sort of expected Kokichi to have cold hands. 

But truth be told, they radiated heat like a flame. 

And standing there, in the bookstore, Shuichi realized something so detrimental that it changed the status of the whole wide world;  _ Kokichi had brought him there to cheer him up _ . 

This was his happy place, and for some reason or another, the purple-haired boy knew it. 

He was still holding Kokichi's hand. 

And he wanted it to last forever. 

But holding on longer would only raise suspicion. 

So he did what he had to do, and let go. 

Kokichi noticed, and for a second Shuichi thought he looked disappointed. 

They both stayed quiet. 

"You're lucky I've been here with Rantaro before." Kokichi says once they enter an aisle. "Otherwise we would've ended up at some corner store named by someone who did a quick Google search about lake puns." 

He was oddly accurate. 

"What made you choose here?" Shuichi wonders, running his fingers along the spines of a few books.

"Well, you. Duh." He said it like it was obvious. 

Shuichi paused for a second. 

That  _ had _ been his theory, but hearing it said out loud like that hit differently. 

And being alone in the store with Kokichi like this made Shuichi wonder why none of his friends liked him. 

"Aw, did I embarrass you?" He teases. "It's not my fault you're a total nerd!" 

Shuichi kept scanning the books. He had to admit, the store had a killer mystery section. 

"Do you want to talk about it?" It was one of the few moments Kokichi let himself seem serious. 

"Huh?" Shuichi asks, not quite sure what he was referring to. 

"About why you were upset!" Kokichi exclaims, pretending to be annoyed that he had to elaborate. "Not that I care or anything. This is my good deed for the day." 

"N-no, I probably shouldn't." Shuichi answers, biting his lip. 

Telling him was a definite no. 

He couldn't risk the chance of Kokichi finding out the reason he was fighting with Kaede. 

"Phew. Now I don't have to be good for the whole rest of the day! What a relief." Kokichi then turned to Shuichi and winked. "That means I don't have to tell you that I lied a second ago!" 

Shuichi couldn't help but to roll his eyes and smile. 

Kokichi Ouma had just admitted that he cared. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you were expecting a completely happy chapter, you were sorely mistaken :) 
> 
> Once again, thank you so much for reading! I really appreciate all of your comments!!


	4. Falling For You Has Never Been So Cold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kokichi and Shuichi's trip to the bookstore ends, as an incident occurs with Rantaro and Kaede!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're back! Around actual winter vacation.

Shuichi ended up buying  _ two  _ books at the shop. The first one had a title that caught his eye, and  _ the other _ ...

"Here you go!" Kokichi proudly announces, throwing what appeared to be a kids book into Shuichi's arms. 

"Huh? What is this for?" Shuichi questions, which was something he should learn not to do when Kokichi was involved. 

It never led to a satisfactory answer. 

"I don't know what you're talking about." He simply shrugs, skipping away to the checkout, and yelling at Shuichi to hurry up so he didn't have time to debate putting the book back. "Hurry up. You're as slow as Himiko!" 

"R-right," Shuichi nods with uncertainty, catching up to him. 

The girl working at the counter looked back and forth at the two when she checked them out, mumbling something along the lines of. "Y-you probably think I'm d-disgusting."

"N-no-" Shuichi immediately refutes, just in time to cover Kokichi's "Yup!" 

Shuichi sighed as he looked at Kokichi. One minute, he was considerate, going out of his way to cheer up Shuichi, and the next, had  _ no  _ regard for human emotions. 

"W-whatever," The cashier dismisses, her braids moving with her head. "I get that a lot. N-not that I care..." 

As one could expect, when she finished ringing them up, Shuichi used his own money rather than Rantaro's credit card, much to Kokichi's dismay. 

"See, Shuichi?  _ This  _ is why you're the worst." He complains as they head to the car. "Rantaro trusted you! And you betray him like  _ this… _ " 

"It was a friendly gesture, but I don't think he expects me to actually use it." Shuichi reasons. 

This was precisely why Rantaro warned him to keep Kokichi away from it. 

"Fine." Kokichi relents. "But while we’re on the topic of Rantaro…”

“I’m assuming you want to talk about Kaede and Rantaro?”

“Ding ding ding!” Kokichi applauds, pumping his fists up in the air. 

“You know… you’re quite the detective.”

“Detective?” Shuichi repeats curiously. He hadn’t heard that one before.

“Well, duh. You treat everything like a mystery novel! I can tell you’re trying to analyze me even now. That’s dedication.” He surmises, shrugging it off in an instant to return to his topic of choice. “Rantaro and Kaede are cute together and all, and I’m glad they finally stopped dancing around their feelings like a bunch of losers, but…”

He scrunched up his nose. “All that handholding they’re doing is  _ pretty  _ gay.”

Of course  _ he  _ of all people said that.

“Didn’t you hold my hand earlier?” Shuichi forgot not to say.

“Yup.”

And that was that. No further conversation, just the echo of an answer in his brain, for the entire way back.

They did end up going to the convenience store, which consisted of Kokichi begging Shuichi to buy useless knick knacks and the cardboard cutout of Harry Styles that it was selling. They left empty-handed. 

  
  
  


When they returned, Rantaro and Kaede were gone. 

“They went on a walk,” Maki informs the two, before making her way up the stairs, most likely to get away from Kokichi. Kaito was nowhere in sight, so Shuichi assumed he was in his room as well. 

“Oh, come on! I had some  _ really  _ important  _ top secret _ information to share with Rantaro,” Kokichi huffs, making his way to the couch. 

Shuichi had hoped he could talk with Kaede as well. 

Now that both of their heads had had some time to clear.

“Heyyyy Shuichi,” The everso familiar words ring as Kokichi thinks up a request. “Can you pretty please bring me some Panta?”

It was simple enough, so Shuichi had no excuse but to comply.

The only thing was that when he handed Kokichi the can, the other shook his head.

“Nope. That’s no good.” He mumbles. “My hand’s gonna get tired. And then it will fall asleep and I’ll drop the soda all over Rantaro’s expensive furniture. So I  _ guess  _ you’ll just  _ have  _ to sit here and hold it for me! Unless you want a lawsuit on your hands.”

Kokichi never handed him the can back after he sat down next to him. 

“You can always just ask next time you want me to sit next to you,” Shuichi notes.

“Nope. My way is more fun.” Kokichi doesn't try to deny that that was his motive all along.

And there they sat for a few minutes, until Shuichi started to get up, uncomfortable with the silence. 

"You're hard to figure out, Shuichi," Kokichi lightly says. 

"Huh?" Shuichi didn't know what Kokichi meant by that. 

"Nothing~" he innocently claims, with his trademarked bullshit smile. 

Shuichi shook his head and sat back down. Kokichi was the difficult one to understand. He'd prove it if he had to. 

But during that time, trouble came in the form of a panicked Rantaro, who rushed into the house with Kaede in his arms. 

"Get some towels!" He yells in between gasps of air. He ran here, most likely. 

She didn't look hurt, aside from a small cut on her cheek, but she was ferociously shivering and drenched in water. She must've fallen in the lake, and with the weather, she must've been freezing. 

Everyone scrambled into action.

"What happened?" Shuichi asks. He didn't mean to sound accusatory, but it definitely came off that way. 

Maki grabbed towels as Kaito ran to the kitchen. Kokichi moved out of the way and Shuichi helped Rantaro carry her to the couch. 

"I-I didn't mean to let her get hurt," Rantaro was still panicking, trying to explain himself to Shuichi. "We were just-"

Shuichi had never seen Rantaro like this before. Freaking out. 

"I-I-m o-okay," Kaede reassures, but she was still shuddering. Kaito came back from the kitchen with hot chocolate. 

"Here," Shuichi says, taking off his jacket and putting it around her. It wasn't much, but she seemed grateful. 

Kokichi helped by staring. And grabbing a band-aid for her cut. 

And then they waited, accidentally crowding Kaede as she had towels and Shuichi's jacket wrapped around her, all while sipping her hot chocolate. 

It took them a minute to calm down from that rush of adrenaline they got from Rantaro's rushed panic. 

"What happened?" Shuichi tried again, this time sounding much more understanding than before. 

"We were walking by the lake again," Rantaro answers, finally regaining his composure. "We saw something on the edge… And when she reached to get it, she fell in. It was my idea to get it in the first place, and I let her fall. I'm sorry, Shuichi. " 

"It's okay, Rantaro. You did everything right by getting her here." Shuichi knew Rantaro needed to hear that. 

Rantaro's worried expression transformed into a content one, as he nodded at Shuichi's words. 

"Are you sure you're okay, Kaede?" Rantaro and Shuichi both ask in their own ways. 

"Mhm," She reassures them with a smile. "Sorry for the scare." 

"Phew. Now I can kidnap Rantaro!" Kokichi enthuses, pulling on Rantaro's hand so the other would follow him. 

"Ah… it seems I have to go. If you need anything, just call." Amami tells Kaede, before being dragged off who knows where. 

Maki and Kaito saw that as their dismissal, and made their way back to their rooms, leaving Kaede and Shuichi alone in the living room. 

Well, Kaede, Shuichi, and silence, thanks to the remaining tension from their earlier disagreement. 

"..." Shuichi opened his mouth, but didn't end up saying anything. 

"I'm sorry," Kaede cuts in. 

"What?" Shuichi didn't expect her to apologize. In the same way that he couldn't control his feelings for Kokichi, he reasoned that Kaede couldn't either. 

"You're always supportive of me. And when you needed my support… I let you down." She sounded so ashamed, Shuichi knew this was straight from the heart. 

Shuichi shook his head. "You have every right to be cautious of him… just like I was with Rantaro." 

"But still; I shouldn't have been such a jerk about it," Kaede sighs, staring at Shuichi's jacket. "And even after that, you didn't hesitate to drop everything and help me a second ago. I'm a terrible friend!" 

And since Kaede wasn't the type of person to submit so easily, Shuichi came up with a solution. 

"I think I know how you can make it up to me." Shuichi offers, an innocent smile on his face. 

Kaede returns the smile, eager to redeem herself. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you enjoyed this, please please please let me know! As well as any criticisms-


	5. Shuichi's Got Another Storm Coming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaede makes it up to Shuichi!  
> And Rantaro & Kokichi have a very troubling, yet exciting announcement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's back baby :) 
> 
> hello to all of the new viewers! and welcome back to all the old ones~
> 
> please, make yourself at home, & enjoy!
> 
> (what did I say? i dont abandon fics! i just suck at time management. )

It _had_ sounded like the perfect idea when Shuichi thought it up. Poetic justice, even: 

Shuichi would tell Kaede about his and Kokichi's adventures, and how they had made him feel, and this time Kaede would be supportive and help him digest it, because that's what best friends do. 

But now Shuichi was sitting in front of her like a dumb baby, unable to speak. 

At first, he figured that this was because they were out in the open, and Kokichi could walk in any second, unveiling the big bad ultimate truth! So Kaede and him moved to Shuichi's room, locking the door for undeniable privacy. 

But that didn't help a damn thing.

Thankfully, it was around then that Kaede caught on to the woes plaguing Shuichi's mind. 

She was still wearing his jacket at this point. 

"I know what this is about," she smiles, grabbing his hands, a rush of warmth flooding through his body with the contact. A little reminder that as long as Kaede was there, he was home. 

Shuichi didn't even need to blush for her to know she had hit the nail on the head. 

"You have nothing to be embarrassed about." She reassures. "Everyone has feelings." 

"I know, but-"

"You _know_ ," Kaede corrects. "But you don't understand. Think about it. Me, Rantaro, Maki, Kaito… we've all been in your shoes."

She had a point. No matter how odd Shuichi felt talking about it, he wasn't _being_ weird. 

Just in the past couple of days, both Kaede and Kaito had come to him about their relationships. 

This--- whatever was going on with Shuichi--- was normal. 

"I think he could tell I was upset this morning," Shuichi finally gained enough courage to start talking. He couldn't look Kaede in the eyes when he spoke yet. But he was working on it. "So on the way to the convenience store, he started giving me directions to somewhere else…" 

"And you followed them?" Kaede asks, eyes widening. 

"Well, yeah…" Shuichi began sheepishly playing with a string on the comforter of his bed. "He seemed so… sure of himself, or whatever. And I was sort of curious, too... Is that bad?" 

"No. I'm impressed, actually." Kaede's smile returned to her face. "I didn't know you still had a sense of adventure in you outside of your novels." 

Shuichi gave a small smile of his own, and almost thought about looking Kaede directly in the eyes, before a wave of embarrassment ran over him, causing him to back out. 

"...we ended up at a bookstore. He sort of admitted that he took us there to make me feel better. At least, in his roundabout way. I don't know. It made me feel… nice?" 

"That _is_ sweet." Kaede admits, but Shuichi could tell she felt bad, since in her mind she was the reason Shuichi was sad this morning. 

"H-he kind of… grabbed my hand on the way in, too." Shuichi's ears turned pink as he recounted the moment. "... I don't know. Maybe I'm reading too much into everything." 

That always was his big bad fatal flaw; overthinking. 

But just as Kaede went to react, there was a knock on Shuichi's door. 

"Hey, Shuichi?" Shuichi heard Kaito's voice from the other side. 

"Yeah?" Shuichi looks up at Kaede, who nods. "Kaede's in here too." 

"Oh, cool! I just got a text from Rantaro to gather everyone in the living room. I figured I'd collect everyone on my way down." Kaito explains as Shuichi stood up to open the door, revealing Maki beside him. "I think he has an announcement or something." 

Sure enough, when Shuichi checked his phone, he saw that he had missed the same text. 

"Thanks for telling us, we totally missed that one! We'll meet you down in a sec!" Kaede cheers. 

"Awesome!" Kaito shoots a thumbs up, before turning to Maki. "Let's go, Maki-roll."

"Yeah, yeah." She mumbled as the two went downstairs. 

"I didn't want to end our conversation without saying this." Kaede held Shuichi's hands. "I am so lucky to have you as a friend." 

"And I know it hasn't always been easy for you to express what you're feeling, but… You should be proud of yourself, and all of the progress you've made. I know I messed up earlier, but from the bottom of my heart, I'm always going to support you, okay?" 

Shuichi felt warm standing on the other side of Kaede's radiant smile. His favorite place to be. "Thank you."

_And… yeah_. 

_Everything was okay_. 

Shuichi wholeheartedly believed that now.

"Oh, one more thing!" Kaede remembers, handing Shuichi back his jacket. "I can already tell you're going to be a great boyfriend one day." 

_Boyfriend…_

_If he were being honest, he hadn't thought that far yet._

_But to be_ **_Kokichi's_ ** _boyfriend..._

It was a nice thought. 

But...

"I-I'm not sure the whole boyfriend thing is going to happen anytime soon." Shuichi admits, failing to suppress a blush from forming on his cheeks.

The thought that his feelings had the potential of being reciprocated had never crossed his mind. 

"You never know," Kaede teases, ruffling up Shuichi's hair a tad. "Now come on, we don't want to miss the announcement." 

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Shuichu realized that both Rantaro and Kokichi were missing from the living room, despite Rantaro having been the one to request their presence in the first place. 

But that issue was quickly resolved when Shuichi heard the door of Rantaro's room open, and saw the two practically tripping over one another as they rushed out of his room, seemingly in a panic. 

"Is everything okay?" Kaede asks, looking over to the two boys. 

They were both panting, to the point where they had to take a second to catch their breath before speaking. 

"Let me put it this way." Rantaro took a deep breath. "I have some bad news and some good news." 

Kokichi nods. "It's the same news." 

"We can take it," Kaito says with confidence. 

"Okay," Rantaro prepares himself. "So basically…" 

"Tsumugi's coming." Kokichi interrupts, ripping the bandaid off. 

"That sounds lovely. Tsumugi's nice." Kaede smiles, optimism in her voice. 

"No, no, no, you don't understand." Rantaro shaked his head, with wide eyes. "You know _school_ Tsumugi. The quiet, nice Tsumugi. _This_ , on the other hand, is post-con Tsumugi. The loud, passionate Tsumugi. And, she uh..." 

Rantaro shot an uneasy look at Kokichi, who glared back.

It made some sense. Tsumugi _had_ mentioned having a convention the week before their trip. But Shuichi was still waiting for the kicker. 

" _Crazy_ convention Tsumugi is _obsessed_ with romance. Don't worry, we'll be safe as long as no one is harboring any romantic feelings towards one another! Oh _wait-_ " Kokichi cleared his throat, as Shuichi died on the spot. 

_There was no way he could know. Right…?_

Shuichi swallowed.

Kokichi pointed his finger at Kaede and Rantaro. "We've got these two yucky _lovebirds_ , as well as Maki and Kaito here…"

Shuichi practically felt the life return to his body, in realizing that Kokichi was not, in fact, talking about Shuichi's big fat crush on Kokichi, but was in fact talking about literally everyone else in the house. 

He was so focused on his relief, that he didn't notice a second exchange of looks between Rantaro and Kokichi. 

Maki groaned at Kokichi's mention of her. 

"I thought you two were friends with Tsumugi-" Kaito began, confused. 

"We are." Rantaro confirms without hesitation. "That's why it's also the good news. But that just means we know how… _intense..._ she can come off as when you're not used to seeing her like this." 

Shuichi could _definitely_ understand the conflict in her coming now. 

"That's _one_ way to put it," Kokichi confirmed. "Even if you can handle all the torture she gives you for your romantic endeavors, there's no telling if you'll be safe from all of her new cosplay ideas…" 

"When is she coming?" Shuichi tried. 

Kokichi and Rantaro held their breaths. 

"Tomorrow." 

Oh, God. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!
> 
> please leave a comment if you feel the urge to. your support is always encouraging :)
> 
> let's all give a big warm welcome to tsumugi

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave your feedback below!  
> I appreciate each and every one of you!


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